For those of you from my generation, the mention of Growing Pains brings memories flooding back of a cringeworthy American sitcom tasked with grappling with the "modern day" struggle of parents with teenaged precocious children. The title obviously hints at struggles encountered in the formative years of transitional immature humans, humorously yet sensitively portrayed by some "American" stars.
The Real Growing Pains is more of a reality series played out in your home and on local sports fields. It is a bewildering phenomenon for the victim, often curtailing months and sometimes years of enjoyment, and potential exposure to All Blacks and Silver Fern talent scouts. So what are some of the facts of growing pains, and if you are a parent reading this for hope above hope, hopefully you see some encouragement in these words.
GROWTH SPURTS
Growing pains are most common in or around the time of the growth spurt. True growing pains exhibit characteristics that fit this season. There is no set formula for the prediction of when a child will transition into adolescence, but when it happens, you notice almost overnight someone is now looking over your shoulder, or commenting on your early hair loss. As the bony elongation is rapid, the muscles could almost be forgiven for being caught unawares, and having to catch up. A combination of weakness and tightness is the temporary result of this rapid growth. Increased tension on muscle insertions can result in some of the more well known growing pains, or apophysitis in the medical lingo: where repetitive muscle contraction causes inflammation, micro-tearing or even tearing away from its immature tendon insertion into bone.
Robert Osgood had to share his shot at medical glory with Carl Schlatter in the early 20th century as they offer their names to the adolescent sore knee problem that a good percentage of teenagers will now have heard of. James Sever latched on to his own condition, as the same type of condition affects the Achilles tendon insertion, and Sinding, Larssen and Johanssen share the glory for the less common knee cap type.
The answer to these problems is not always the popular one. Look at the volume of activities the child is doing and reduce to the essentials, and if this doesn't help, rest may be the best bitter pill to swallow. The physiotherapist can help here with advice and guidance. With the apophysitis family of dysfunctions, regular gentle stretching can help as the thigh and calf muscles naturally become tight due to the longer bones.